A Syrian migrant who crossed the English Channel in a small boat two years ago has urged other asylum seekers not to follow his footsteps, as he claims there is “nothing here” for them.
Alaa Eldin, 25, said he has been homeless for the past five months and has been sleeping under a rowing boat on a beach in Dover, Kent. He said he has been unable to work or claim benefits under the UK’s “broken” asylum system, and that he wants to leave the country as soon as possible.
Eldin said he fled the Syrian civil war nine years ago and travelled to Germany, where he worked as a plasterer for six years. He then decided to come to the UK in 2020, hoping to find a better life and reunite with his brother, who lives in London.
He paid £3,000 to smugglers to board a rubber dinghy with 12 other people and made the perilous journey across the Channel. He said he was “very happy” when he arrived in England, but his happiness soon turned into disappointment.
According to Gbnews, He said he was taken to a hotel in Leeds, where he applied for asylum and waited for a decision. He said he was told he could not work or receive any financial support while his claim was being processed.
He said he became frustrated and depressed by the long wait and the lack of opportunities. He said he left the hotel and travelled to London, where he hoped to find his brother and some work. However, he said he could not contact his brother and he was rejected by employers because he had no papers.
He said he ended up on the streets, begging for money and food. He said he was also harassed by some people who called him a “terrorist” and a “scrounger”. He said he felt “humiliated” and “worthless”.
He said he received a letter from the Home Office in September 2021, informing him that his asylum claim had been withdrawn because he had left the hotel without permission. He said he tried to appeal the decision, but he had no legal representation or evidence to support his case.
He said he then decided to go back to Germany, where he had friends and a job. He said he travelled to Dover, where he has been trying to sneak onto a lorry heading to France by ferry. He said he has been caught several times by the police, who have taken him back to his boat on the beach.
He said he has been playing a “cat-and-mouse game” with the police and the CCTV cameras, and that he has not given up on his plan to leave. He said he does not care about the risks or the consequences, as he has “nothing to lose”.
He said he regrets coming to the UK and he warns other migrants not to make the same mistake. He said he thinks the UK government does not want asylum seekers and does not treat them fairly or humanely.
He said: “I want to tell all the people who want to come to England by boat: don’t do it. There is nothing here for you. You will waste your time and money and you will suffer a lot. You will be better off in any other country in Europe. England is not the paradise you think it is.”
